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| Date: | Monday 30 October 1995 |
| Time: | 17:18 |
| Type: |  Boeing 747-4B5 |
| Owner/operator: | Korean Air |
| Registration: | HL7482 |
| MSN: | 25205/853 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1991 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 319 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor, repaired |
| Category: | Incident |
| Location: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) -
 United Kingdom
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Seoul-Incheon International Airport (ICN/RKSI) |
| London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) | |
| Investigating agency: | AAIB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The aircraft departed Seoul, Korea at 0350 hrs on a scheduled passenger flight to London Heathrow landing at 1705 hrs. The flight crew, who were well rested before they commenced duty, consisted of a commander and first officer augmented by a second captain and first officer. The secondary crew acted as an in-flight relief allowing the primary crew to take 6.5 hours rest during the cruise phase of the flight.
After landing the commander was instructed to taxi to Stand L27 for parking. Stand L27, a 'nose in' stand on Pier 5 at Terminal 3, consists of one fixed and one movable airbridge jetty and is equipped with an AGNIS (Azimuth Guidance Nose In Stands) and a PAPA (Parallax Aircraft Parking Aid) system for aircraft parking guidance. Prior to the aircraft's arrival on stand the ramp dispatcher checked that the wheels of the moveable jetty were positioned within their designated parking area and that the AGNIS and PAPA lights were selected on and serviceable.
The aircraft was initially aligned to the right of the lead-in line as it taxied onto the stand and hence the commander's attention was occupied primarily with the aircraft's correct azimuth alignment. The first officer's duty during this maneuver was to monitor the alignment and advise the commander of the aircraft's ground speed displayed on the EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System). He could not comment on the aircraft's progress in relation to the PAPA as his view of it was obstructed by a windscreen pillar and its alignment was set up for use only by the aircraft's left seat occupant.
The first officer reported that the aircraft's ground speed was 3 kt as it approached the stand. Data recorded on the aircraft's DFDR (Digital Flight Data Recorder), analysed by the AAIB, showed that the ground speed was in fact 6 kt. Furthermore, the dispatcher standing in the mouth of the fixed jetty, stated that the aircraft's taxi speed was "very fast indeed" and "a lot faster than normal". The commander stated that he inadvertently missed the correct stopping position, as indicated in the PAPA, because his attention was split between the AGNIS display ahead of the aircraft and the PAPA display board some 60° to his right.
The dispatcher realized that the aircraft was not going to stop at its designated position when he saw the passenger door travel past the jetty opening. He had no means of signalling to the crew. The commander stopped the aircraft when he realised that he was beyond the correct position but he was not aware that the left wing upper surface had been damaged as it came into contact with the lower section of the moveable jetty. At the time of the collision the aircraft's nosewheel was some 21 feet beyond its normal stopping position. The crew were informed that the aircraft had hit the jetty by a ground crew member via the aircraft's external interphone system after the engines had been shut down. The passengers were disembarked normally via mobile steps positioned at the rear door.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/542300fd40f0b61346000b55/Boeing_747-400__HL7482_01-96.pdf
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/5829883 (Photo)
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Mar-2025 08:47 | Justanormalperson | Added |
| 28-Mar-2025 08:47 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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